Tikachu's Kitchen: The Truth About Obesity

4/2/10

The Truth About Obesity

8:23 PM |

Postedby Kartika Christensen |

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Dear readers,

Just a few days ago I came across a really good educational TV show titled “Obesity”. It is both inspiring and terrifying that I thought I should spread this information to everybody through my blog. It is a seed of many serious health disorders and has triumphed as the most serious health factors in the 21st century. Sadly, only a small percentage of people know how dangerous obesity is, because for thousands of years men have adapted to only just enough food, and food was, until the 19th century, a matter of necessity, not leisure. With the growing economy and mass-production, agricultural technology and supermarket around the world, food consumption rate increases at an alarming rate each year. While on the other hand, 21st century technology such as transportation and digital entertainment triggered physically-inactive lifestyle, requiring us to burn less calories than our ancestors.

The Vice of Men

Medically, obesity is a condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it has become dangerous for human health. Our body is naturally designed to store excess fat when we eat more than we need, a crucial factor when we were still living at nature’s mercy and food was not always available. With the advancement of human technology, notably agriculture and food industry, food became the most widely manufactured products in the world and human has learned to process food in such a delicious manner that it has been more than just necessity: it is our worldly pleasure, and to obese people: their vice. The modern society’s addiction to junk food (zero nutrition excessive fat food) and high-sugar or salt snacks has also endangered human health.

Statistics

Obesity is the leading preventable causes of death throughout the world. In the United States alone, obesity is estimated to cause 100,000 to 365,000 of deaths every year. On average, obesity reduces life expectancy by 6 – 7 years. Extreme cases of obesity even reduces life expectancy by 10 years.

Statistics have shown that our calories intake has increased significantly over the last 40 years in all parts of the world except Eastern Europe. The United States has an average calorie intake of 3,754 kcal, almost twice as needed, in 2003. Europeans came in second with 3,394 kcal per person, followed by Asia (2,648 kcal per person) and Sub-saharan Africa (2,176 kcal per person).

Medical Aspect

The human body needs varied amount of energy every day in order to function properly. The variety depends on age, sex, metabolism and daily activities. This energy is measured in ‘calories’. On average, young male adult need 2500 kcal/day, whereas women averagely need 2000 kcal/day. Children and older people require less energy, whereas physically active people need more. Rough temperature also makes us burn more energy, and thus requiring more food calories.

Human store fat differently according to their sex. Women store fat under their skin, and are more even throughout the body. Men, however, store excessive fat around their internal organs, and therefore obesity is more dangerous to men than women! Fortunately, men generally have higher metabolism than women, and can burn calories and reduce fat faster.

The dangers of obesity include heart disease, type 2 diabetes, sleeping disorders, cancer, and osteoarthritis. In addition to that list: hormon imbalance, depression, hypertension, infertility, birth defects and pregnany difficulties, multiple sclerosis, migraines, stroke, liver disease, gallbladder disorder, hair loss and skin problems, and other physical and psychological disorders. Only a very small percentage of obesity cases are caused by genetic and thyroid factors. In order to measure levels of obesity, the medical world uses Body Mass Index (BMI) as follows:

BMI = weight (kg) / height2 (meter)

The ideal weight should be between 18.5 – 24.9. Overweight is between 25.0 – 29.9. Class I obesity is 30.0 – 34.9, class II obesity is 35.0 – 39.9, above 40 is morbid obesity, and above 50 is super obesity.

Treatment

The primary treatment for obesity is change of eating habits and physical exercise. Anti-obesity drugs may also be given to reduce appetite or inhibit fat absorption, although not always recommended. In some extreme cases in which no conventional method works, an obesity patient has to undergo gastric bypass or intestinal bypass, meaning a large percentage of his/her stomach must be removed to force small portion of meals or his/her intestines are shortened in order to absorb less fat. This method, however, most likely comes with complications and post-operational disorders.

I hope this article is as eye-opening to you as the TV show and the research have been for me. It is our responsibility to pay attention to our biggest asset in life: our health.

Be informed, be aware =)